Register to attend for the Second Annual Double-Crop Conference.

Double-cropping is a popular rotation in Southern Illinois. Growers grow and harvest wheat and immediately plant back a crop of soybeans. This rotation can generate more income than full-season corn or soybeans or a single wheat crop, but faces numerous challenges that impact the quality of wheat and/or the yield of soybeans.

However, while there are challenges in this rotation there are also solutions available that make it a productive and profitable enterprise. It is also an environmentally sound practice as wheat growing over winter provides many of the same benefits that a cover crop provides, helping to protect soil and water quality.

If you grow wheat and double-crop soybeans afterwards, and want to learn how to improve the yield and profitability of the rotation, attend the Second Annual Double-Crop Conference in Mt. Vernon, Ill. on February 8. The conference will bring together growers and industry to talk about the challenges faced when double-cropping and the solutions available.

New for this year, the Illinois Wheat Association (IWA) is combining its winter wheat forum with the Illinois Soybean Association’s double-crop conference into one premium event.

The conference is at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Mt. Vernon from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. The Illinois Wheat Association will hold a business meeting at 3:30 p.m. Lunch is included. Click here to view the agenda and speaker details.

Attendance is free for members of the Illinois Wheat Association or Illinois Soybean Association, sponsors and media. For others, registration is $15. Registration fees will be collected at the event.

The program detailed below is loaded with information you can use to improve the productivity of both wheat and soybeans and the profitability of the rotation. Plan to attend.

Agenda
8:00 a.m. Registration and Coffee/Rolls
9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions – Dave Droste, ISA director; Dan Davidson, Co-Emcee
9:10 a.m. Marketing Strategies for 2017 in a Down Market – Dale Durchholz, Senior Market Analyst, AgriVisor
10:00 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. Management of stripe rust and scab of wheat, Carl Bradley, University of Kentucky
10:45 a.m. Managing diseases in double-crop soybeans, Carl Bradley, University of Kentucky
11:15 a.m. Profitability with Soybeans and Wheat in Illinois, Gary Schnitkey, University of Illinois
12:00 p.m. Lunch
12:55 p.m. Afternoon introductions, Jim Fraley, Co-Emcee
1:05 p.m. Managing a High-Yield and High-Return Double-Crop Rotation. Farmer Panel Discussion moderated by Jim Fraley – High-Yield Wheat, Mark Krausz, Wheat Farmer, New Baden, Clinton County; Early Wheat System, Kevin Luthy, Randolph County; High-Yield Double-Crop Soybeans, Russell Schwarm, Fayette County
2:00 p.m. Management Considerations to Maximize Double-Crop Soybeans, John Pike, Pike Ag, LLC
2:45 p.m. Recent Double-Crop Research for Formulating BMPs, Dan Davidson, ISA Research, Technical Coordinator
3:20 p.m. Wrap-up and Close – John Ernst, IWA President; Jim Fraley, Co-Emcee
3:30 p.m. Adjourn to Illinois Wheat Association business meeting

Soybean agronomist Daniel Davidson, Ph.D. posts blogs on agronomy-related topics. Feel free to contact him at djdavidson@agwrite.com or ring him at 402-649-5919.